


Echoes

by DashboardSmiley



Category: Spartacus Series (TV), Spartacus: Blood and Sand, Spartacus: Vengeance
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-18
Updated: 2013-07-13
Packaged: 2017-12-12 05:18:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/807700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DashboardSmiley/pseuds/DashboardSmiley
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They are about to start their new life in the middle of nowhere. Thousands and thousands of miles away from anyone they know, who should they turn to asking for help when everything seems to go wrong right before their eyes..?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Highway To Hell.

Agron cracked his neck letting out a long sigh.

He has been driving for hours now without taking any break and it was starting to get to him. he was tired and his eyes kept watering from lack of sleep.

He and Nasir had decided to take turns driving. Although Agron should’ve given the wheel over to Nasir hours ago, he didn't have the heart to wake him. They only had a couple of more hours to go, and he was determined to endure it alone. After all it was his stupid idea to keep on going.

Nasir had proposed that they stop at a motel, spend the night and start the rest of the journey next day; refreshed. But Agron, all excited and eager to get to their destination as soon as possible, had refused telling Nasir that he would do all the driving, that all Nasir had to do was to sit back and relax. Nasir just shook his head in exasperation, letting Agron have his way, but he offered to take turns driving because he knew Agron's big plan was bound to fail.

Agron cursed himself for his stupidity. He should’ve listened to Nasir. They should've stopped and taken a break.

And to top it all off it was raining like crazy.

The thick curtains of dark black water made it impossible to see even ten feet ahead of them; so he had to drive really really slow . He was never a slow driver and this was literally killing him. But he had to be careful. An accident on the first day of their new beginning would simply not do.

Their new beginning... Their new life....

Argon's face split into a wide smile at the thought, as his eyes flickered briefly to the thick gold band around his ring finger.

His new life he was about to start with the man of his dreams, the love of his life, and now his husband.

Agron mouthed the words he had come to love... Husband...

Nasir was no longer Nasir Fadel..  

He was Nasir Kaufmann.

Agron and Nasir Kaufmann..

Yeah.. it does have a nice ring to it..

 

Agron turned his head taking in the form of his sleeping husband, currently curled up in a ball on the passenger seat. Nasir was seated sideways, legs pulled up on to the seat and chin propped up on his knees. His hands were tucked under his chin as if he was trying to keep himself warm.

Agron shook his head...Nasir and his hatred of cold.

Agron never managed to understand how, even though he had spent most of his life in America, Nasir still hasn't gotten used to the cold weather. He never seemed to get over the hot atmosphere of his homeland. Nasir always dressed up in one too many clothing even on the hottest of days. And sometimes it drove Agron mad, the amount of effort he had put into when he was trying to undress Nasir.

Some of the long black strands had managed to escape Nasir's ponytail and was now framing his face, making him look years younger and somehow more vulnerable. The rush of tender emotions that flooded Agron's heart was not unexpected. Nasir was years younger than him and he always felt the driving need to protect the younger man.

Nasir was snoring softly and little bit of drool was dripping down from the corner of his mouth.

Well what could Agron say... It was a Kodak moment.

With a smirk he reached out, trying not to disturb the sleeping man, quickly grabbed the camera from the glove box and snapped a picture of his drooling husband. It would come in handy in the near future.

Chuckling under his breath at the amount of useful purposes the picture held, he replaced the camera in the glove box. Reaching out he tucked a black lock behind Nasir's ear, letting his hand linger on the warm skin of his lovers’ neck. He caressed the soft warm skin with his thumb. Nasir shifted a little at the ministrations but didn't wake up.

Giving a final gentle squeeze Agron dragged his focus back to the road.

 

 

After about another half an hour of driving his eye lids were starting to droop again. So he cranked up the volume of the radio, not enough to wake Nasir, but just enough so that he may not fall asleep. Settling his head against the headrest he started singing along with Metallica blaring through the radio ..

 _‘’Die... by my hand... I creep across the land.._  
 _Killing first born man..._  
 _I... Rule the midnight air, the destroyer_  
 _Born... I shall soon be there... deadly mass...’’_  
 _  
_He didn’t get to sing for long though. Something wet and cold nudged against his neck, startling him out of his seat.

He almost forgot his baby, Rover, his 7 year old golden retriever lounging on the back seat.  _trust the dog to make itself known_

He looked at his dog through the rear-view mirror.

‘’getting bored back there old buddy ?’’ The dog only wagged his fluffy tail making whiny noises.

‘’it’s only going to be a couple of more hours boy. Then you’ll be as free as a bird.’’ He reached behind him, his gaze still trained on the road in front of him, and scratched the dogs head.

‘’It’s going to be a blast you know? Your new home. With your daddy and me and we could even find you a girlfriend there‘’ he winked at the dog who huffed in response. Agron was sure he would be rolling his eyes if that was possible.

‘’You can run around all you want, and dig holes and hunt rabbits and _steal pot pies from the neighbours_...’’ he added the last part in a whisper, his gaze flickering between the road ahead and the rear-view mirror.

‘’it’s going to be wonderful buddy. It’s going to be wonderful’’

He glanced back and grazed his dog with a brilliant smile.

Then suddenly Rover stood up on the seat and started growling baring it’s teeth at him.

Argon's smile slowly slid off his face, his eyebrows crinkled in confusion.

‘’Rover...? What is it boy?’’ his voice wavered with uncertainty.

His dog never, never, growled at him. In its seven years of life it had never scratched or growled or even showed a shard of annoyance towards Agron. And it shocked him to the core. Why was the dog acting hostile towards him?

But through his daze Agron could see Rover was not looking at him. In fact it was not trained on anything inside the car. Rover was looking past Agron. It was growling at something out side of the vehicle. Quickly turning forward he searched the road, straining his eyes to find some explanation for the dogs odd behaviour.

He didn’t see anything out of ordinary. All he could make out through the thick sheets of rain was the outlines of the enormous trees lining the road, and the big branches swaying in the powerful wind.

‘’there’s nothing out there Rover’’

The dog still hadn’t stopped growling and now the hackles were starting to rise on the back of its neck.

He threw a quick glance at Nasir, still asleep, oblivious to all the commotion around him.

‘’shush now boy... or you’ll wake your daddy.’’

He turned back towards the road.

 

That’s when he saw it.

 


	2. Lost In The Shadows

At first the only thing he could make out were the dark shapes of the huge trees lining the sides of the road, surrounding them from all sides and the branches that swayed dangerously in the powerful wind. His eyes darted all over the place, and he finally saw what Rover was growling at; a dark lump in the distance.

At first he couldn’t make out anything else other than the dark outlines against the trees. But as they got closer he could see it with more definition. He recognised the outlines of a lean body and slim limbs, it was definitely a human.

The growling and the whimpering coming from the back of the truck were starting to get louder by the second. It seemed as if the dog was trying to scratch its way out of the moving vehicle, scratching at the glass, whimpering pitifully.

Agron was baffled. Why was the dog reacting this way towards a human?

 

Then he started to feel it too.

The air inside the truck was starting to get heavy, almost making him choke. It was too hot and too cold at the same time. Goosebumps started to rise all over his body at the same time as the short wisps of hair started to rise on the back of his neck. He was starting to feel uncomfortable in his own skin.

But what caught him off guard were the emotions racing through his mind.

Pain, terror, anger, despair, fear... it all rushed through him at the same time. It was as if his mind was on overdrive.

The closer he got to the dark figure the more intense those feelings became.

He could now relate to what his dog was feeling only moments ago. Because all he wanted to do now was to turn back and race away, to leave this _thing_ and this place behind forever.

 

But he couldn’t. He felt as if he was being pulled forward by some unseen force. Closer and closer...

He tried to tear his gaze away from the dark figure, but found it impossible to do so.

He watched as one dark hand slowly started to rise up, outstretching towards them.

 

Agron slammed his foot on the break with all his might.

 

 

  *******

 

The tires screeched, skidding a little on the wet road before coming to an abrupt halt. The jolt threw everyone forward, but none more so than Nasir who was unaware of his surroundings. The only thing that kept him from crashing through the windshield was the seat belt.

Shocked and caught off guard, he tried to right himself back on the seat, hissing at the pain he felt where the seat belt had dug into his skin.

‘’Agron’’ he spluttered, looking around wildly, trying to get an explanation for what had happened.

‘’Agron what happened?’’

But Agron didn’t respond, and Nasir could see he hadn’t heard him either. His breath was coming out in short ragged gasps and his eyes were wide and panicked. His gaze was flickering everywhere as if he was looking for something. Nasir followed the line of his gaze but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. So he turned his attention back to Agron. Removing the seat belt he leaned closer to the other man gently shaking him in order to get him out of whatever reverie he was lost in.

 

 

  *******

 

Agron was unaware of everything around him. His eyes were focused only for one thing; the dark figure at the side of the road. He was searching for it, but couldn’t find it. It was as if it had vanished into thin air. And then he started feeling something on his shoulder, and then a soft voice, calling out to him... asking if he was alright.

Nasir...

Agron snapped back into the present and found Nasirs concerned face only inches away from his own.

He reached out and enveloped the smaller man in his arms and rested his chin on the silky soft hair.

His grip only tightened as the memories of the almost fatal accident came rushing back.  

What had he done?  He had almost killed them...

 

Finally he pulled back and held Nasir at arms length trying to assess his injuries.

‘’Are you alright? Are you injured?’’

Nasir shook his head.

‘’I’m fine Agron. But you’ve got a bump on your forehead’’ he pointed out.

Agrons hand shot up to his face, fingers lightly caressing the small lump forming on his forehead.

‘’Huh. I must’ve banged my head on the wheel or something.’’

‘’ What happened Aggy?’’

Nasir never called him Aggy. He hated that nickname, only resorting to use it when he was really concerned or scared or when he was really _really_  pissed. And Agron knew he was scared. He briefly considered telling Nasir about what he saw, but then decided against it. It was not that he doubted the other mans trust in him; it was just that he didn’t want to worry Nasir further. They were starting a new life and this was a sour note he did not want to build that life on. He could feel Nasir studying his face, trying to see into what was going through his mind, but he kept his face as composed as possible adamant not to give away his inner turmoil.

 He will suffer alone, for now...

 

‘’Nothing love... I’m so sorry, my eyes must’ve closed for a second.’’ He said giving Nasir a shaky smile.

‘’Do you want me to take the wheel?’’

‘’No, no... I’ll drive. Just.. just talk to me for a while’’

‘’Are you sure?’’

‘’yeah.. yeah... just talk to me.’’

He tried his best to give Nasir an assuring smile, which of course Nasir didn’t return. The man knew him all too well. He could bet Nasir saw right through his facade.

He took a deep breath trying to gather his scattered thoughts before turning on the ignition. Nasir was silent and Agron was sure he was debating about whether or not this was the right time to ask questions.

After a long couple of seconds he heard Nasir let out a long sigh, a sure sign of giving up. He watched from the corner of his eye as Nasir turned his attention towards the dog that was covering under the seat.

‘’Did your daddys antics scare you Rover?  Huh? You should tell him that he’s too old to be driving around like Vin Diesel’’ Nasir said sending a pointed glare his way.

He was thankful that Nasir didn’t pursue the subject further. He knew his husband inside out. So he was sure that he would get bombarded with questions in the morning. But for now he was more than happy to just sit back and listen to Nasirs idle chatter. He let his husbands’ voice wash over him, taking comfort in the beautiful sounds, allowing the words to calm and sooth his frazzled nerves.

But he couldn’t help but steal a quick glance every now and then at the side mirror, watching the rapidly disappearing ‘ _scene of horror_ ’.


	3. Genesis - part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of like a flashback chapter. the chapter I was going to post did not really connect with the previous one so I posted this one instead and this will help explain some stuff that comes out later in the story.

 

Life was not hard on Agron Kaufmann.

In fact he had one of the best childhoods one can imagine. Apart from some medical complications when he was little his childhood was a happy one. He was rich, had loving parents and was surrounded by friends and relatives who he loved and who loved him in return.

And then there was his brother.

Duro Kaufmann: Agron’s best friend and partner in crime.

Two years younger than him, Duro was Agrons exact counterpart. They had the same interests and had the same love for martial arts. They were rarely seen without the other and both brothers had a protective streak about them.

Duro always supported Agron standing beside him when he came out and working as the peacemaker between his mother and his brother when Mrs. Kaufmann threw a small temper tantrum about Agron being gay.

It didn’t take long for their mother to accept her son’s sexuality though, claiming that what matters the most is his happiness, and everything slowly settled down.

After graduating he went into the family business soon making a name for himself and earning the respect of his employees.

Agron was happy and life went on.

 

******

 

 

Agron met Nasir in one of the most the worst circumstances possible.

 

They were organizing a party for their mothers 50thbirthday. Duro was running some last minute errands and Agron was on the phone with him giving him instruction when He heard a loud crash and yelling from the other side before the line went completely dead. He tried redialling but Duro didn’t pick up. He was beginning to panic when he got a call from the police informing him that Duro was in an accident and that he had been taken to the hospital.

Agron was gone before one can say ‘’fuck-the-gods’’, dragging his friend Donar along with him.

 

Two policemen intercepted them at the hospital’s reception and informed them that the man who had brought Duro to the hospital was in the waiting room.

Agron, in the height of his blind rage immediately assumed the worst about this person and stormed into the waiting room to confront the man.

A small man pacing up and down the room looked up, startled, as Agron loudly pushed through the glass doors. He was covered in red splotches... blood... Duro’s blood.

 Agron’s own blood started boiling at the sight of this stranger covered in _his_ brothers’ blood, standing in front of him all hale and hearty while Duro was suffering only feet away from them.

 The man backed away as Agron advanced on him, an action that only managed to enrage him further. He grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt, sweeping him off his feet as pinned him against the wall.

‘’you... you....’’ he spluttered.

Unable to form a proper sentence to tell this man how he felt, he shook him a good couple of times until he heard the satisfactory sound of teeth clattering together.

 ‘’you fucking son-of-a-bitch...’’ he hissed.

‘’if anything happens to him I’ll fucking kill you... do you hear me... I’ll fucking KILL you’’

 

Donar came rushing into the room and seeing the scene unfolding before him he immediately dragged his friend away from the shocked man. Then mumbling a small apology under his breath he dragged a very pissed off Agron out of the room.

 

 

******

 

Once in the hallway Agron shoved his friend off him and started pacing around like a caged panther, cursing and swearing under his breath trying to blow off at least some of his steam.

He rounded on his friend when he tried to calm him.

‘’why the fuck did you not let me have a go at him?’’ he shouted, fists raised and waving as if he was considering punching Donar’s lights out.

‘’calm down you stupid fuck’’ Donar admonished. ‘’that man did nothing wrong’’

 ‘’the fuck are you talking about?’’

Donar raised his hands in a placating gesture. ‘’Duro’s car swerved out of the road and hit a lamp post, that guy in there was the first to reach him. He was not involved in the accident’’

And just like that Agron’s anger turned into shame.

‘’what???’’

‘’he saved you brother’s life you idiot.’’

‘’shit’’

 ‘’yeah, you better get in there and do some very good apologizing before that guy decides to press charges or something.’’

‘’damn it man.’’

‘’get in there, and talk to him. He seems like a nice enough guy.’’ Donar said shoving him lightly towards the room.

He slowly trudged back into the waiting room, trying to come up with a good enough excuse for his despicable behaviour.

 

******

 

He found the guy sitting on a chair in the furthest corner of the room, his shoulders slumped and face buried in his hands. He didn’t look up as Agron walked into the room or when he sat down next to him. In fact the man didn’t give any hint that he had noticed Agron.

He sat there for a few long minutes debating about what to do.

Finally taking in a deep breath he touched the other mans shoulder. The man jumped out of his seat, startled. When he recognised who it was his expressions turned into one of anger.

‘’what? Came back to finish your job did you?’’ he scoffed.

Agron winced.

‘’yeah about that. I’m so so SO sorry.’’

‘’what?’’

‘’I’m so sorry for what I did before. I was concerned for my brother and I just... lost it... I guess. I’m sorry.’’

The small guy just stood there staring at him before letting out a small huff that sound awfully close to a laugh, and sat down again.

‘’lucky for you I can understand how you feel’’

‘’I have a brother as well. I would’ve reacted the same way you just did if something happened to him. So I guess I can relate.’’ He further explained at Agrons questioning face.

‘’thank you so much. But I am sorry, I shouldn’t have acted like that’’

The guy waved him off.

‘’water under the bridge. So how’s your brother doing?’’

‘’I don’t know. I came here straight away to... you know’’

‘’to beat me to a pulp?’’

Agron winced again.

‘’I’m _sorry_.’’  Great. Now he sounded like a whiny little child.

The guy let out a short laugh.

‘’hey man I’m just kidding. I told you, all is forgiven.’’ He said laying a comforting hand on Agrons shoulder.

‘’thank you’’

 

 There was a quiet cough and they both looked up at Donar who stood at the doorway.

He inclined Agron to follow him.

Agron excused himself and followed his friend out to the hall way where a doctor was already talking to his parents.

‘’there’s nothing to worry about Mr. Kaufmann. Your son is a very lucky man. He only has a minor concussion and a gash on the forehead, it will heal quickly. We are keeping him here overnight for observation and if there’s no complications you can take him home first thing in the morning.’’

As soon as the doctor left his mother dragged him into a bone crushing hug.

‘’oh my god I was so worried’’

‘’There’s nothing to worry about mum, you heard the doctor. He’ll be home by tomorrow morning.’’

‘’Yeah. Thank the gods. We have to go to him’’

Agron remembered the stranger in the waiting room.

‘’You all go ahead. There’s something I need to do.’’

‘’don’t take too long’’ He nodded and watched as his parents and Donar walk down the hall, then made his way back into the waiting room.

 

 

******

 

Agron found him in the exact same place he had left him before. He looked up and graced Agron with a smile as he entered.

‘’what did they say?’’

‘’nothing to worry about. They are keeping him overnight just to make sure everything’s OK’’ he said looking down at the small man.

Now that all the anger and worry had somewhat disappeared he couldn’t help but enjoy the view. The shoulder length jet black hair, the thick black lashes that framed his big brown eyes. Agron was mesmerised.

The man stood up. He was at least a foot shorter than Agron and his blood was starting to boil again, but this time it was due to an entirely different reason.

‘’well then... I guess I should get going’’ he said gesturing towards the exit.

Agrons mind was running a marathon trying to come up with a reasonable excuse to make this guy stay a little bit longer, even if it was for just another second. Barely registering what the guy had said he only gave a quick nod.

His heart sank to the ground when the small man started walking away from him.

He stared numbly until the man disappeared from sight. When his mind snapped back into the present he realised he couldn’t let the best thing that had happened to him in a while, slip from his grasp so easily.

 

He sprinted down the hallway and out of the glass doors into the cold night air. Looking for any sign of the man Agron spotted him already halfway across the parking lot.

‘’wait...’’ he called out.

The man stopped turning and watching Agron approaching him with big strides.

‘’let me take you out to dinner..... ‘’ he started when he was close enough.

‘’for what I did .. before’’ he quickly added at the guys raised eyebrow giving him his puppy eyes that usually got him whatever he wanted.

The guy seemed to consider.

‘’please’’

‘’well... since you are buying...’’

‘’great, this is my number’’ he quickly thrust his business card into his hand and added in a whisper ‘’call me’’

The guy nodded and started to walk away from him again, leaving Agron standing in the middle of the parking lot. He was ready to get in his car when Agron remembered he had forgotten to ask him the most crucial question.

‘’wait...’’ the guy looked up at him.

‘’what’s your name little man?’’ he shouted across the parking lot. Naturally they were not alone out there and some people sniggered at the nickname. Although Agron was blissfully unaware of this, the small guy was not. He looked around himself before turning to glare at Agron.

‘’call me that again, and you’ll never know’’ he hissed before getting inside his car and slamming the door shut.

Agron was livid with himself. Exactly how stupid was he? He had managed to squash whatever they had built up between them for the past couple of hours inone minute. He stood there dejectedly as the guy started the engine.

However he managed to catch the small smile stretching the man’s mouth as he drove past him.

And the smile that split his face almost rivalled the gods.


	4. Genesis - part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a flash back chapter as well, the next one will be in the present.   
> Sorry for the long wait.

 

Nasir Fadel could only stand by and watch as the green eyed giant invaded every aspect of his life, slowly but surely filling every crack and crevice of his heart made by years of betrayal and mistreatment.

After that fateful day at the hospital his life had changed, for better or for worse he couldn’t tell at first. Placing his trust in someone had always been hard for him.  But when he drove away from that parking lot leaving the man who had so blatantly threatened to end his life only a couple of hours ago, it was with a light heart. He had wondered around with that business card tucked safely in his pocket for a whole week, unable to make up his mind about whether to call or just forget. But in the end with a little push from his friend, he had picked up the phone and called him.

The guy, Agron, took him out to dinner. Not to some plush restaurant as he had expected, but to his home, and had introduced him to his family.

He was welcomed into the Kaufmann family with open arms, every one thanking him numerous times for saving their son’s life. Nasir had protested, he was after all in the right place at the right time, until Agron had whispered in his ear to ‘’suck it up while it still lasts’’.

And he had done exactly that.

He basked in the warmth and love this newly found family bestowed upon him. Being depraved of love his entire lifetime this chance was a godsend.  

 

****

 

Nasir had always wanted to be a writer. The love for books inherited by his parents who further encouraged him to peruse his dreams. He spent most of his childhood amidst the love and warmth of his family. But it all came to an abrupt end with the untimely deaths of his parents and brother.

With all of his relatives unwilling to adopt him permanently he was handed around, moving from one relative to another staying no longer than six months in one place.

During those times books provided the much needed getaway from his shitty life. He could drift into a totally different dimension where all of his current problems were miniscule. In that world he could forget all of his heartache and be the carefree happy child that existed before his parents deaths.

Finally after being handed around for about a year his final stop was an orphanage.

Although it was not a major step up from his previous life this at least provided a permanent roof above his head.

 

Nasir’s biggest disadvantage was himself, his small stature attracted bullies like moths to a flame. The first couple of days at the orphanage felt like hell. But help soon came in the form of bouncy curls and a beautiful face.

Chadara- The one best thing that had ever happened to him in his entire life time.

She quickly became his guardian angel, taking him under her wing and chasing away the bullies with her fierce demeanour and witty tongue. She soon became the sister he never had. She was the first he came out to and instead of the disgusted look he expected from her she threw her arms around him and pulled him into a bone crushing hug, claiming he still was her best friend. More so she helped him pursue his dream of writing, pushing him out of his comfort zone until he published his stories. Nasir would, even without a shred of doubt, tell anyone who asks that she was the main reason that he ended up where he was now.

Chadara rarely came out of her ''overprotective mother hen mode'' and Nasir sometimes felt smothered under all that attention. Most of the time she managed to drive him over the edge with her actions   _but_ he was grateful. Thanks to her he managed to get rid of the _asshole boyfriends_ who treated him like a plaything.

After all the unsuccessful dating episodes Nasir gave up, retreating back into himself. The fear of another relationship going sour kept him from even trying to find someone else. No matter how much Chadara set him up with nice guys he never showed any interest.

So when she saw him walking around with a business card in his pocket mooning about some ‘ _guy_ ’ she took into her own hands to get the two of them together. She had argued with him trying to make him see the bright side of the situation but he had hesitated, the bitter memories keeping him from making a move.

It was after she had whacked him over his head real hard that Nasir finally decide to call Agron and set up a date.

 

*****

 

They clicked together, him and Agron.

They were nothing alike, what with Agron all outgoing and boisterous and Nasir all laid back and reserved. Yet they somehow clicked, like matching pieces of a puzzle, each of them balancing out their scales into a position they were both comfortable with.

Their families and friends were ecstatic. They were, in their eyes, the perfect match.

Yet all the good things have an end. This proved to be their case too. Their ‘’honeymoon period’’ came to an end with the appearance of Castus.

 

 

 ***

 

Castus was Nasir’s new book editor. The relationship between him and Agron went south from the beginning, when Agron saw Castus hitting on Nasir. And after that it was constant war between the two men. Although Nasir profusely admitted his heart only belonged to Agron, the fear of losing something so close to his heart clouded Agron's normally impartial mind.

All the late nights Nasir was away from his arms was another bit of fuel added to the wildfire spreading through him. All the long _work hours_ Nasir spent with Castus was only another moment of betrayal in his mind.

His accusations got so bad that Nasir finally stopped professing the love he held for Agron and went into defensive mode.

One and a half years after that fateful meeting in a cold hospital waiting room their relationship hit rock bottom.

 

***

 

 

Agrons life crumpled in front of his eyes, all the plans he had for them, the future he had pictured in his mind, going down the drain.

He was shattered inside but he would die before letting anyone else in on his true feelings.

His family offered comfort, offered to talk with Nasir, make him see reason, but he refused knowing full well that he brought this on himself. It was him that drove Nasir away, him with his unfounded accusations and jealousy that cost them their future. He knew he had to apologize and make things right between them, but he lacked the backbone, his pride keeping him from going back to his lover asking for forgiveness.

He had to move on despite the empty void inside of him that only kept growing with every second of Nasir’s absence. 

That was when he found out about the isolated house in Alton.

For him it was the perfect getaway from his past. He purchased the house and had started renovating it almost immediately. He would move away, put his past behind him and start a new life.

His family had protested at first. But then had agreed, thinking it the most sensible thing to do, after all it was a better way to get over the breakup than turning to alcohol or violence.

All was going well with the plans for his new life.

 

 

***

 

 

But it was not going as well for Nasir.

His life had literally turned into hell after the breakup. Everything he had done was centred around Agron that now when he was suddenly out of his life he was at a loss.

Nasir unlike Agron was not afraid of showing his true feelings. He had cried in the past and was not ashamed to do so now. Their break up was something he thought would never happen, dismissing even the possibility of it. But now that it had happened he was devastated, venting out his anger and frustration on Castus (when he tried to comfort him) and even Chadara.

He was not fickle. He knew life would continue after this, without Agron. He had lived without him before and it was not like he would drop dead without him. But there would always be a hole in his life that no one else would even come close to filling.

Despite him being the one to break it off between them he had tried multiple times to talk to Agron- to try and rebuild their broken relationship but Agron had never picked up his calls, had never once met him.

That was when Duro told him about his brother’s plan to move away.

That night lying on his bed with a Agron sized space beside him, he had decided that no matter who was at fault he would make the first move to mend things between them. If Agron was too high on his pride, fine, he would be the one to apologize. He would beg - on his knees if that was what finally brought Agron back to his senses.  Whatever it was that they had managed to build up between them was special and Nasir would not be the one to cause its destruction.

 

****

 

It was with that determination he had gone knocking on Agron’s door the first thing next morning.

Agron had let him in without hesitation and Nasir had a distinct suspicion that this was what he was waiting for - for Nasir to make the first move. They had talked about their future plans and what had transpired between them and Agron had been uncharacteristically calm during the whole conversation, even when ‘’Castus’’ came up.

It was not long before both of them had come to a mutual agreement to move the conversation to the bed.

It seemed that Agron didn’t need much persuading after all.

 

****

 

 

After an entire night spent in the throes of passion Nasir had woken up to something gold hovering above his face.

He heard a simple ‘’ marry me’’ before a sleep rumpled Agron came into focus.

When the question finally registered in his sleep addled mind he froze.

 ‘’what?’’

‘’marry me’’

He was silent for a long time.

Although he wanted nothing more than to be with this man forever he couldn’t help but ask.

‘’is it because of Castus?’’

 ‘’No. Because of _us_ ’’

‘’what about your house?’’

‘’come away with me. We could start all over again in a new place.’’

‘’and leave everything behind? My work... Chadara...?’’

‘’come on Nasir, think of it as a big, big vacation. We could see how it goes. If it works out it’s great, we can set up house there.’’

‘’and if it doesn’t?’’

‘’it’s you and me babes. It’s bound to work.’’

Looking into those vast pools of green, the love Agron held for him was palpable. One look at the shit eating grin that stretched the beloved face and Nasir did not hesitate.

Nothing would separate them this time, not even the gods.

‘’okay’’

‘’okay? Just like that?’’

‘’just like that.’’

 

 

****

 

Their new house was situated on the edge of a cliff, isolated from the rest of the world save a few houses scattered along the foot of the hill. It was overrun by the huge trees that almost seemed to swallow up the house. The thick canopy of greenery caused huge shadows making it seem like dusk even when it was broad daylight.

Not so far away a huge spray of gushing water made its way down the hill providing constant music filling up for the lack of human noises. The thin sheen of mist produced by the waterfall covered the whole area existing throughout most of the day.

The house, built completely out of stone, was a two story building with a basement built into the cliff. Huge glass windows covered most of the walls providing them with the picture perfect view of the large valley stretching out for miles before them.   

 

They didn’t have much to do in terms of renovating. The house was in perfect condition and Chadara had taken up the task of making it liveable. They had not protested her self-appointed job, knowing full well that it would be useless as talking to a brick wall. When they saw the finished interior they had not regretted handing over the reins to her either.

She had had the whole interior painted in white and matched it with thin white drapes for the windows. They would be using most of their old furniture but she had taken the liberty of furnishing the house to her taste.

With her touch it already felt like home.

 

*****

 

The last couple of days in their current home had been hectic.

 Nasir had a book signing event that he had to work his ass off for. Then they had to spend numerous hours of sorting through their belongings to decide what to take with them. The packing they did with the help of their family. And on top of that there were the wedding preparations.

They got married in a small private ceremony the day before the move. Then spent their first night as a married couple in the apartment, amidst a sea of cardboard boxes.

In the early morning they sent away Nasir’s car and the boxes with a moving crew.

They had left at noon after saying goodbye to all of their friends and family; all set on the clear path for the future they had planned.


End file.
